Lesser alcohol with “einfachbier”

Promising alternative | Non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beers with a significantly reduced alcohol content are currently en vogue and meet the increasing health-conscious mindset of consumers, without having to forego the pleasure of drinking. Against this backdrop, many brewers are confronted with the question: is it possible to produce non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beers using existing equipment?

Yeast research in focus | The 4th BrewingScience Yeast Special will be published on April 29, 2022. The call for papers is open now.

Output doubled with a modern dealcoholisation plant

The alcohol-free beer trend | After almost 30 years the Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan has invested in a new de-valcoholisation plant. This sets the oldest brewery in the world up for the future and enables it to perfectly cater for the growing demand for alcohol-free speciality beers. Greater productivity, flexibility and the use of cutting-edge technology were what triggered the decision to place the order.

Hop aroma compounds: transfer rates into beer and beer aging

Aging behavior | During experimental trials conducted to assess the reproducibility of the 2 hl pilot brewery at Hopfenveredlung St. Johann GmbH, it was determined that a number of hop aroma compounds were transferred from hops to beer. Subsequently, the behavior of these compounds in the finished beer over the course of aging was investigated [1].

Dry hopping with Eureka! – Brewing tests and analyses

Transfer of aroma substances | In search of a characteristic hop aroma in dry hopped beers, the potential of the hop variety Eureka! was investigated in more detail in brewing tests. This investigation focused on time-dependent transfer of selected hop components.

Crossflow reactor concept for continuous fermentation process

Immobilisation of yeast | Based on a new reactor concept, a continuous and immobilised fermentation process is being developed that meets the needs of modern breweries and maintains the advantages of continuous primary fermentation. State-of-the art crossflow filtration technology is used.

Spoilage yeasts, wild yeasts, foreign yeasts

Overview | This article is an abridged version of the scientific paper “Fermentation and Spoilage Yeasts and their Relevance for the Beverage Industry – A Review” which appeared in BrewingScience in 2012 [13]. At the time, the article provided a summary of the latest findings on the subject of harmful spoilage yeasts and wild yeasts and still serves as a reference in the event that problems are encountered with these microorganisms.

Fluid or rigid – influence of stress on the yeast plasma membrane

Stress during brewing? | During the brewing process, yeast cells are subjected to a multiplicity of stress factors simultaneously (fig. 1). These stressors influence the physiological condition – defined as yeast vitality – of living cells and, thus, also have an impact on their morphology.

Isothermal mashing: The answer to brewing reduced-alcohol beer

Single rest | Interest in reduced-alcohol and alcohol-free beers is growing. Can they also be produced by craft brewers? The authors describe a simple, isothermal mashing process in which temperature is maintained constant at 72 °C for 120 minutes. Using different malt mixes, original gravities will range from 10.6 to 12.1 °P. The alcohol content of the finished beer is between 1.9 and 3.5 per cent ABV and, when adding Saccharomycodes ludwigii, about 1 per cent ABV.

Requirement applying to (modern) yeast management

Brief overview | “Yeast is only human after all” – that’s how it should be treated by brewers. In the context of a thesis at the University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf in Weihenstephan, it was found that yeast management in breweries is not always given adequate attention though yeast quality has such a significant influence on beer quality. This contribution provides a brief overview of the most important aspects of yeast management.

Everything under control? Dry hopping and chemical-physical properties of beer

Quality assurance | Dry hopping has become an essential technique in beer brewing, designed to create the aroma of a beer and to produce pronounced, typical beer styles. This excerpt from an extensive research project provides some insight into the chemical-physical changes associated with dry hopping.